The world-famous coffee shop at the Chilliwack Airport is putting out a mayday call.
Chilliwack Airport Coffee Shop co-owner Judi Good warned Thursday they might have to close their doors by Christmas if they can't solve a dispute with airport management company, Magnum Management.
An April 14 letter from Magnum states they are taking control of the east patio to make repairs and "rehabilitate" the outdoor area used by the 36-year-old coffee shop business with the tagline "I fly for pie."
But Good said the patio removal will be permanent, which threatens their ability to survive.
“We’ve been told we will no longer have access to the patio for use by the Coffee Shop,” said Good in a media release. “If we lose the income from guests who want to use the patio during the summer months we won’t be able to last the year. We will be shut down by Christmas.”
The income generated from patio patronage is considerable, and they were asked to pay for removal of a number of trees around the patio, which airport management has deemed "unsafe."
"We brought in a local arborist to assess the trees and they were given a clean bill of health, so they shouldn't need to be removed," said Good.
Management has been inconsistent in their demands. First they gave the coffee shop the summer to clean and repair the patio area. Then they announced they were taking full control and removing access to the patio.
"We feel like we are being run out of town,” said Good. “Every time we try to comply with management’s requests, they get changed at the last minute."
They are now asking the community and coffee shop loyal customers to call the City of Chilliwack with support.
“The Airport Coffee Shop has been in Chilliwack for 36 years,” added Good. “But without help from the city we will likely have to close our doors forever."
Garry Atkins, airport manager for Magnum Management, did not return a call for comment from The Progress by press time.